Furniture dollies used in the moving industry are conventionally constructed of heavy wood and metal components. While such dollies are durable, they are relatively expensive and heavy. If a conventional dolly breaks or wears out, it must typically be replaced in its entirety. The dolly components are generally not modular, and cannot be recycled.
Because of the need to reduce costs and preserve the environment, there is an incentive to make dollies from materials that cost less and can be recycled. There is also an incentive to make dollies that are modular, so that individual parts can be replaced. To date, such attempts have been generally unsuccessful because the low cost recyclable components have not been strong enough to support heavy furniture loads.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,066 issued to Rehrig, discloses a plastic dolly that is strengthened by longitudinal metal reinforcing bars inserted in the longitudinal side members. Another plastic dolly reinforced with longitudinal metal bars is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,115 to Rehrig. Other plastic dollies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,129, issued to Rehrig; U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,566, issued to Kern et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,833, issued to Berna et al. When designed without metal reinforcing members, the prior art dollies are generally not strong enough to carry heavy furniture.